Plan B Forum

Wis. governor activates National Guard after Milwaukee unrest

MILWAUKEE — Gov. Scott Walker activated the National Guard on Sunday to assist the Milwaukee Police Department upon request in the aftermath of violence in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood after a fatal police shooting.

Walker said he activated the guard after a request from Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. and conferring with Mayor Tom Barett and Major Gen. Donald Dunbar.

The development came as a sense of calm and order returned to the neighborhood Sunday morning after a night when businesses were torched, cars overturned and set ablaze and gunfire erupted following the fatal police shooting.

By mid-morning Sunday, the area near N. Sherman Blvd. and W. Burleigh St. was clogged with onlookers, in cars and on foot, but the area soon swelled with people showing up to clean up trash from the unrest the night before.

Shortly after 7 a.m. CST, people were showing up at the scene to pitch in on the cleanup, some even crossed the police tape into the gas station, which was not being guarded by police, and started picking up trash. Officers ushered them out and the cleanup continued near the station and in the surrounding blocks.

Mark Hale, 52, who works third-shift at the Hilton hotel downtown, said he was driving home and stopped by on his own to pick up trash.

“Instead of being part of the problem, I wanted to be part of the solution,” he said. “I figured if I started picking up trash, other people might do the same.”



Hale, who is black and has lived in the city his whole life, said he attributed the fires at businesses and squad cars to “a lot of idiots who don’t have jobs and don’t want to have jobs.”

Hale said he has four grown children, three of whom are in training or studying to be in law enforcement.

“Point blank, I support the police,” he said, adding from what he has heard the officer who shot the suspect was justified.

Police Chief Edward Flynn, who was out of town for a funeral, was back Sunday. He and Mayor Tom Barrett were expected to hold a news conference Sunday afternoon.

In earlier statements, Milwaukee police said an officer shot and killed an armed man who was fleeing a traffic stop about 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The officer ordered the man to drop his gun and when the man did not, the officer fired, wounding the man twice, once in the chest and once in the arm, Barrett said.

After an hours-long confrontation with officers, police reported at 10:15 p.m. that a gas station at N. Sherman Blvd. and W. Burleigh St. was set on fire. Police said firefighters could not for a time get close to the blaze because of gunshots. Later, fires were started at businesses — including a BMO Harris Bank branch, a beauty supply company and O'Reilly Auto Parts stores — according to city officials.

On Sunday morning, dozens of people gathered in Sherman Park and formed a prayer circle. After a prayer, people fanned out to help clean up the neighborhood streets. The effort was led by the Coalition for Justice, a grass-roots organization that formed after the police shooting of Dontre Hamilton.

"Yesterday was a cry out for respect," said Nate Hamilton, brother of Dontre Hamilton who was shot and killed by a Milwaukee police officer in 2014.[How does burning and looting businesses that have nothing to do with your grievances bring "respect" ]

"When you're hurting you hurt back," he said.

A group of clergy also joined the efforts Sunday morning.

"This may look like a graveyard, but dozens of faith & community leaders are out cleaning up. This is our Milwaukee!" Pastor Alexis Twito said on Twitter. Twito is the head coordinator for the Salvation Army's chaplaincy program that responds to traumatic events across the city.

Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton said organizations that work in the Sherman Park neighborhood have begun outreach in the community, and that city officials, including the mayor, police and community leaders, are scheduled to meet at noon Monday.

"We cannot blame the police for what is happening," said the Rev. Jeffery Hawkins of Westside Missionary Baptist Church.

"I can understand we get upset when police kill one of ours but who is getting upset when we kill ourselves? That's where our anger should be."

Another woman at the scene said the unrest was the result of years of members of the black community being victimized by the police.

“They have been taking our folks for too long,” she said. “This is a rights issue.”

Three teenage friends who live in the area came out to clean. They all said a lack of good education and jobs had boiled over in the fires. And while they didn’t defend what happened, they weren’t surprised.

“It’s energy that just keeps building up and it boiled over,” said Naeem Hunter, 18.

Tony Whitley Jr., a pastor at Resurrection Life Worship Center said he doesn’t attribute the unrest to police relations but rather to a generation of young people who have not been parented and who have needs that are not being met.

He said it is a calling for churches including his own to go into the homes to help address those needs.

“We have to take responsibility. We can’t say it is the police or whatever,” he said. “We have grandparents who are in their 20s and 30s and that’s a problem. This is the result of unparented kids with no values or morals. They are hurting.”[That's not coming from some white "racist" reporter; that's coming from an African American minister who lives in the community]

A group of about 30 people gathered at the O'Reilly Auto Parts store Sunday morning to help clean up after the store was set on fire overnight. The only things left standing were the outer was the outdoor walls and a sign showing significant burn marks.

Jimmie Butler, the store's commercial manager, woke up to a call Sunday morning from a friend who told him the store was burned down.

"It's sad. Despite what's going on, O'Reilly didn't do anything" to warrant the destruction, Butler said.

He said he's not sure if the store will be rebuilt.

Bernard King was going from store to store with his son and a few other boys from the neighborhood to help clean up locations that were burned down Saturday night.

King and other people that were cleaning up damage at O'Reilly expressed frustration over a lack of job opportunities for youths in the area.[And everybody knows that the best way to create jobs is to burn down businesses... ]

RayThom wrote:I sure hope it can be proven -- beyond a shadow of a doubt -- that resident, scumbag, Sylville K. Smith, was armed.

Speaking at a news conference Sunday afternoon, Milwaukee police Chief Ed Flynn identified Sylville Smith as the man shot by a police officer a day earlier after he fled a traffic stop.  Mayor Tom Barrett said it was clear from police body camera footage that Smith was holding a gun when he was shot several times.

"It was in his hand.  He was raising up with it," Flynn said at the news conference.

Scooter wrote:Wait, don't tell us, anyone breaking curfew will be shot on sight.

CNN Sorry For Editing Clip Of Milwaukee Victim’s Sister Calling For Violence

The news network made it appear as if the woman was calling for peace, when she in fact urged demonstrators take their violence “to the suburbs.”



CNN issued an on-air apology on Wednesday morning for editing remarks made by the sister of a man shot dead by Milwaukee police in which she called for violence in “the suburbs.”

Sylville Smith, 23, was shot by an officer on Saturday afternoon, triggering destructive riots in the city. Officials said police body camera footage shows Smith turning towards an officer while holding a gun, prompting the officer to open fire.

On Sunday, Smith’s sister, Sherelle, addressed media, condemning the destruction in her community.

“Don’t bring the violence here and the ignorance here,” she said.

“Burning down shit ain’t going to help nothing!” she continued. “Y’all burning down shit we need in our community. Take that shit to the suburbs. Burn that shit down! We need our shit! We need our weaves. I don’t wear it. But we need it.”

In a CNN report which aired Monday morning, journalist Ana Cabrera only aired the first part of Smith’s quote and said she was “calling for peace.”

Cabrera tweeted a correction on Tuesday, acknowledging the quote had been “shorthanded.”

“Unintentionally gave the impression she was calling for peace everywhere,” Cabrera wrote.

On Wednesday, anchor Carol Costello issued a rare on-air apology for the editing of the clip.

“I want to take a moment to clarify something from Monday,” she said. “We had a report that inadvertently and wrongly characterized the plea from a Milwaukee woman whose brother was killed by police.

“As our viewers saw, she demanded the violence stop in her community, but in fact, she also said that protesters should instead take their violence to the suburbs.

“I regret that second part of her statement was not included,” Costello said.

“Burning down shit ain’t going to help nothing!” she continued.  “Y’all burning down shit we need in our community.  Take that shit to the suburbs.  Burn that shit down!  We need our shit!  We need our weaves.  I don’t wear it.  But we need it.”

“I’ll tell you what coloreds want.  It’s three things: first, a tight pussy; second, loose shoes; and third, a warm place to shit.  That's all!”